A little update from the frozen tundra: In the course of one month's time, my choir will have run the sprint of an EF Requiem High Mass, High Mass for Feast of St. Joseph followed by EF Confirmation Ceremony with bishop and 79 confirmandi, and an entire EF Holy Week. All of these are first-time outings for the choir. It was suggested that "I Survived Confirmation and Holy Week 2013" shirts might be in order. There are no outward signs of public mutiny yet, but if no one returns in the fall, I guess I'll have a pretty good feel for what was harbored on the inside!

I have to share a little anecdote from March 19 Confirmations: I was doing organ, singing, directing duties, as well as being a sponsor for one of the confirmandi. Halfway through one of the hymns, people were frantically motioning to me that I was supposed to be in the Sanctuary because my confirmand was almost up to the bishop, so I hopped off the organ bench, and abandoned the choir which was forced to go it a cappella . The organ was pinned in by the video equipment that had been set up, so I grabbed my shoes in my hands, and had to squeeze and snake through the men who were gamely trying to sing all by their abandoned selves. When I got to the choir stairs, I met an obstacle because they were filled with children and women. I accidentally stepped on a little boy trying to climb down, then slipped my shoes back on, and thundered up that center aisle like a woman storming the altar. I could see my worried little confirmand up in the Sanctuary looking backwards with a face that said, "But I don't have anyone. Where is she?!" I arrived just in time. Then I thundered back down the aisle and repeated everything in reverse, to get back on the organ bench.

As I was seated on the bench, I heard a noise to my left, and turned in that direction just in time to see a little boy dump one of the wooden music stands, which then crashed against the loft railing, sending the heavy music binder on top of it crashing to the pews below, narrowly missing a baby which was there, and THEN the 8-ft. tall microphone equipment started to topple over the railing. Thank goodness that some young girl saw it happening and RUSHED to grab the thing!